The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/982919
COMEBACK QUEENS On March 11, the women's tennis team was shut out by No. 14 Texas to fall to 4-8 on the young season. That was when the squad that had never lost more than eight matches in head coach Ronni Bernstein's 10 previ- ous seasons started its first rally. The Wolverines won its next seven competitions — all against Big Ten foes — and lost just once more before entering the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis the No. 2 seed. But the comebacks weren't over yet. After blank- ing Michigan State 4-0 in the conference tournament opener, the Wolverines' chances to stay alive looked bleak at crucial points in both the Big Ten semifinals and championship match. Against No. 19 Illinois April 28, U-M faced a 3-2 deficit, meaning it needed wins in each of the final two singles matches to advance. Junior Brienne Minor and sopho- more Chiara Lommer delivered with three-set wins at No. 3 and No. 2 singles, respectively, to push the team into the championship match. In the April 29 finals against No. 12 Northwestern — who handed U-M its lone Big Ten loss — another Maize and Blue rally was required, and the team turned to Lommer in the deciding match once again. Despite falling behind 3-0 in the final set, the Glenview, Ill., na- tive successfully climbed out of the hole to be the hero once again with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory. With all eyes on her, the All-Big Ten pick (in white visor) delivered for the second time in two days to extend her singles winning streak to 12 straight and set off a championship celebra- tion with her teammates. "I threw my racket to the side and I turned to everyone else," Lommer told MGoBlue.com. "I wanted to feel the win with everyone else." PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS THE BIG PICTURE